Colombia’s president at UN, after slamming Gaza war, appears to lament return to ‘era of the Nazis’

Just days after posting the phrase “Heil Hitler” on social media, outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro again invokes the Nazis, this time after criticizing Israel’s conduct in Gaza at the United Nations.

Petro, a left-wing president in the final weeks of his term ahead of the country’s June 21 runoff election, sparked anger when he posted “Heil Hitler” on Sunday in response to an op-ed supporting right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella.

Petro subsequently defended his use of the Nazi slogan, arguing that he was critiquing the language used by the op-ed’s author, which he said included “fascist phrases.” His defense came after criticism from Israeli leaders and others who said the “Heil Hitler” comment was inappropriate.

Today, during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, Petro says he should have provided more context for his “Heil Hitler” post, according to Spanish-language media.

But he also brings up Nazis again in the context of “the fight for hydrocarbons” and Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

“That’s what makes missiles rain down on peoples, on babies,” Petro says of competition over fossil fuels, according to a video shared by Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon, featuring what appears to be the UN’s real-time English translation.

“Twenty thousand have been killed in Gaza,” he says. “Those numbers cannot be hidden. No political or economic interest can conceal that fact. And that is the real red thread of what I’m going to say here, which [is] we’re going back to the era of the Nazis.”

Danon calls Petro “a delusional leader who spreads anti-Semitic statements” in a post on X.

“It is not clear what he took before the discussion this morning, but nothing justifies the reprehensible words that came out of his mouth,” Danon adds.

After tweeting “Heil Hitler” and not even bothering to apologize, the UN Security Council platformed a delusional leader who spreads anti-Semitic statements. Today the President of Colombia even claimed that “We're going back to the era of the Nazis”

It is not clear what he took… pic.twitter.com/1YlOe40nbI

— Danny Danon ???????? דני דנון (@dannydanon) June 10, 2026